This week I decided to try the practice of soaking. Soaking grains is such a simple (and inexpensive!) way to get even more nutritional benefits out of our food. I'm excited that this is an easy practice I can incorporate into my meal prep and that it's not something that will affect our budget at all. And I'm sure that will make Paul glad too ;)
Ok so why soak? Soaking grains is an ancient tradition and I've read that we only recently stopped soaking as a culture. Apparently we forgot how important it is! I'm going to have to ask Oma if she ever soaked or maybe her mother?! After some research, I thought this excerpt from Nourishing Traditions was helpful to understand the reasoning of why we should soak our whole grains:
Phosphorus in the bran of whole grains is tied up in a substance called phytic acid. Phytic acid combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestinal tract, blocking their absorption. Whole grains also contain enzyme inhibitors that can interfere with digestion. Traditional societies usually soak or ferment their grains before eating them, processes that neutralize phytates and enzyme inhibitors and in effect, predigest grains so that all their nutrients are more available. Sprouting, overnight soaking, and old-fashioned sour leavening can accomplish this important predigestive process in our own kitchens. Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon, Pg 25
Awesome! But now, how to soak? I adapted this simple recipe, also from Nourishing Traditions, for our cooking needs. It's really so easy peasy and as long as I plan ahead my meals, I think I could do this regularly.
The water needs to be warm, but not hot. Body temperature is appropriate. I used filtered water and warmed it in the teapot on the stove while getting my other ingredients ready.
I chose to use Apple Cider Vinegar for my acidic component. This helps to neutralize anti-nutrients. Other options are lemon juice, whey, kefir and yogurt. I'll have to try those one day! But vinegar is what I had easy to grab on hand. Because Paul hates the taste of vinegar, I did a really good rinsing of the rice after the soaking and before cooking. There shouldn't be too much of a leftover taste regardless, but I did this just in case.
Rice is known to be heavily sprayed with pesticides, so I have chosen to purchase organic rice. It's not that much more expensive, and I am going to look into purchasing it in bulk for a better deal. Of course I am using brown rice, because white rice really has little to no nutritional value.
Grabbed my favorite spoon and I'm ready to get started! I soaked my rice just under 24 hours. I've read a few different suggestions for time, but 24 is the easiest for me anyways since I have time to prep in the evenings.
Once I was ready to start dinner, all I had to do was drain and rinse my rice, and then prepare it as normal (for me that's on the stove, bring to a boil, then simmer about 40 minutes with the lid on). Can I also say how awesome it tastes to cook the rice in chicken broth instead of plain water?! Mmmm! We enjoyed our rice with stir fry chicken and peppers. It was delicious and nutritious!
*An important part is to save the liquid that the rice was soaking in. I put mine in a jar and am storing it in the refrigerator. I'll use this liquid next week to soak my rice in again. Each time you recycle it, it's supposed to get yummier and yummier!
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